Florida Ballpark
Florida Ballpark at Alfred A. McKethan Field is the college baseball stadium of the University of Florida, and serves as the home field for the Florida Gators baseball team. Florida Ballpark is located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, adjacent to the university's softball stadium, Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, and its lacrosse stadium, Dizney Stadium. It replaced the former ballpark, Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field, which had been the home of Florida baseball from 1988 through 2020; McKethan Stadium's earlier incarnation, known simply as Perry Field, had been the home field of Gator baseball since 1949.[1]
  Florida Ballpark Location in Florida  Florida Ballpark Location in the United States | |
| Full name | Florida Ballpark at Alfred A. McKethan Field |
|---|---|
| Address | 2800 Citrus Road |
| Location | Gainesville, Florida, 32611 |
| Coordinates | 29° 38′ 10.94″ N 82° 21′ 49.63″ W |
| Owner | University of Florida |
| Operator | University Athletic Association |
| Type | Stadium |
| Genre(s) | Baseball |
| Seating type | 4,000 chairback 700 club 2,300 berm |
| Capacity | 7,000 (expandable to 10,000) |
| Field size | LF: 330' (100.6m) LC: 380' (115.8m) CF: 400' (121.9m) RC: 380' (115.8m) RF: 330' (100.6m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Daktronics |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | February 2019 |
| Built | August 2020 |
| Opened | February 2021 |
| Construction cost | $65 million |
| Tenants | |
| Florida Gators baseball (NCAA) 2021– | |
| Website | |
| Florida Ballpark | |
Namesakes
The playing surface is named for Alfred A. McKethan, a University of Florida alumnus and successful Florida banker, businessman, and politician who contributed major donations to the Florida athletic program. McKethan donated the equivalent of $800,000 for the reconstruction and improvement of UF's baseball facilities in the 1980s and 1990s, and the stadium built at Perry Field was named in his honor.
Facilities
The current stadium facility is a concrete and steel structure that seats approximately 7,000 fans, and includes a press box, concession stands, locker rooms for the home and visiting teams, and coaching staff offices. The stadium includes 4,000 chairbacks, 700 club seats, and berm seating for over 2,000 spectators. The design includes a 360-degree concourse, shade canopy, and open air seated grandstand.[2][3]
The stadium is lighted for night games and features a natural grass and clay playing surface with a synthetic turf backstop.
See also
References
- "Alfred A. McKethan Stadium". Florida Gators. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- "Florida Ballpark". Florida Gators. 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- "Florida Ballpark at McKethan Field Nears Completion". Florida Gators. 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
External links
- Florida Ballpark – Stadium description at official website of the Florida Gators.